The presence of dozens of predominantly Spanish-speaking foreign nationals over the last two days at the Ministry of Health compound on Brickdam remained unexplained after immigration officers declined to provide basic information about the exercise.
Kiskadee Watch visited the Ministry yesterday and approached immigration officers who were conducting the exercise under two large tents erected on the compound.
One immigration officer would only say that the people were there to apply for work permits and referred Kiskadee Watch to her supervisor for further information. The supervisor subsequently came out and asked for some time to obtain information on the exercise but never returned.
Kiskadee Watch also spoke with one of the persons attending the exercise, but the majority of those present said they could not speak English. One man said he was at the Ministry to obtain an Electronic Identification (E-ID) card and said the majority of those gathered under the tents were Cuban nationals.
On September 7, the government’s media group was asked to provide information on the exercise, but no response has been received to date.
APNU Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan has called on the government to provide a full account of the “mass registration exercise” at the Ministry of Health, noting that passports were being presented and logged during the exercise.
He also questioned the apparent absence of clearly identifiable Guyanese officials directing the process and said contradictory explanations had emerged about the purpose of the exercise. Duncan said some reports suggested that the process involved registration of foreign healthcare workers, while other information pointed to an expedited process for national identification and E-ID cards.
“The Guyanese people cannot be left to rely on street rumour to understand state operations occurring on public property,” Duncan said, as he called on Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond and the executive to explain the exercise, including the legal authority under which it was being conducted, the agencies responsible and what documentation was being issued.
Duncan also demanded that bilateral migration agreements be made available to the National Assembly, linking the situation to other concerns about the government’s handling of migration and immigration matters and noting that the absence of clear information and a structured policy undermines public confidence.
He said his concerns were not based on opposition to foreign nationals entering Guyana, but on the need for immigration and national identification processes to be conducted within a clear legal and institutional framework.
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